You can't change fate when it's been determined
by Dark Phoenix Rising
Summary: MGS4 SPOILER! Both knew it would be the end to their friendship, but how do you let someone go knowing full well that he will never return? OneShot, Snake Otacon friendship.


**Author's note: **This is my first MGS fic, so please be kind. It contains slight spoilers for MGS4. I hope you like it and will review! I always appreciate your opinions, so please let me know! ; )

I wrote it after seeing the 15 minutes trailer and Otacon really reacts the way he does here in it. And the reason why Snake is not as grumpy as he should be is, because we have all seen that he has changed a lot from MGS 1 to MGS2, especially when it comes to how he treats Otacon.

Please let me know what you think!

**You can't change fate when it's been determined from the beginning**

"Hal, we've been through this," Dave said and turned into the direction where his partner stood. From the eyes of the man, who had come so far from the scared and insecure engineer to the confident man he was now, he could tell that the discussion wasn't over yet. "I am not changing my mind!" the soldier added to strengthen his point and went on changing into his combat suit.

"But what's the point of this?" Hal Emmerich asked and shook his head; one finger pushed up his glasses again. "I don't understand it, Dave! What's the point in fighting in your condition?!"

"Hal…," Dave sighed and closed his eyes for a brief moment.

"No! I don't want you to do this!" his partner instantly said before the man could go on. "It will only get you killed. Why can't other soldiers fight him? Why does it have to be you again?!"

"Because I am the only one who can fight him and you know that!" his partner said and still had his back to the man at the door.

"But you're no good in that condition of yours! How many of those syringes do you want to use just to be able to keep on fighting?!" Hal asked and heard how the soldier sighed again. "Tell Campbell to send someone else and stay here!"

Having enough of this discussion, Snake turned around to face the man. "You can't change it, I'll go!" he said with determination in his voice and crossed his arms. "What's wrong with you that you abandon what Philantrophy stands for? We founded it to fight Metal Gears and Liquid has a whole bunch of them, if what Roy said was true!"

"I am not abandoning anything here!" Hal gave back and came closer until he stood right in front of his partner. "I just want you to tell someone else to do it. We can still help him in the field but from a safe place!"

"Otacon!" Dave said harshly and used the codename of his partner to make clear that the discussion was over. "I will go and I will stop Liquid from finishing what Big Boss wanted! If you want to stay here because of whatever reason, fine, then I'll find someone else to do it!" Glaring at the man he walked past him, not seeing the look on the engineer's face.

"But it will get you killed, Dave!" Hal said pleadingly and turned to look at the man. "I don't want you to do this, please!"

"My time's running out anyway," Snake said darkly, one hand resting on the doorframe. "It doesn't matter to me if I die there, Hal. I always knew I would die on the battlefield one day. We can't change fate…"

"No, but you can change the way you die!" Hal said and touched the man's shoulder. "Dave, I'm begging you! I don't want you to die in some street all alone. I want to be there for you when it happens…" Wiping his tears away angrily, he took a while to regain his composure. "Why are you so determined to push your luck? You don't know when you will die and how much longer…"

"Six months…," Dave grunted and made his partner look up in surprise.

"W…what?!"

The soldier turned around to face the man in front of him. While his face looked grim, his partner's face couldn't be more surprised. "I only have six months left… Maybe less. Naomi wasn't so sure…"

"W… How come you know?" Hal asked in surprise, his heart beating rapidly while fear began to spread in his body.

"Because she told me," Dave grunted and looked away.

"When?"

"Two weeks ago…"

"But why didn't you tell me?!" Hal asked aloud and stared at him in shock; feeling betrayed, hurt and shocked at the same time. But also desperate… "Why did you keep it to yourself?!"

"Because I knew how you'd react. That's why!" the soldier answered with narrowed eyes.

"And then you want to go into that war and get yourself killed?!" the engineer asked and shook his head in disbelief. "Why? Why don't we go to your cabin in Alaska, get one or two dogs and spend the time you've left there? Why do you want to go on fighting, Dave?! I don't understand it!"

"Fighting was the only thing I was ever good in," the soldier quoted Grey Fox. "But at least I fought for what I believed in…"

"Oh don't come up with that crap!" Hal said angrily and returned the glare he was given. Back then the look would have scared him, but not anymore. "Do you have already planned where you'll die? Also the how and when?!"

"Hal…," Dave sighed in frustration and ran a hand over his tired looking face. He had his eyes closed for a moment, when a noise made him look up in surprise. "Hal," he began when his partner wiped his tears away once more. "We have been through so many missions together. I have always gone, even if I felt like crap when the whole aging thing became worse, so what is your problem now? It doesn't matter to me if I die in that war or in the next six months! I don't have any more time left, so I will at least go down fighting. We both knew it would come to this one day, that I wouldn't have a long life. So why are you reacting that way all of a sudden?" he demanded to know and gave his opposite a questioning look, but all he could read in the engineer's eyes were hurt and lots of fear.

"Because you're the only friend I have," Hal replied, his voice half broken and he took off his glasses when new tears began to fall. "You're my best friend, my family… When I lose you, too, I have no one left… What am I supposed to do all alone? I'm just a computer and anime geek. Without our work, I don't have any purpose in life…," he said with a sad smile and stared at his glasses that he held with shaky hands, watched how single drops fell onto them, felt how the lump in his throat became thicker with every breath he took. "Don't get me wrong, Dave… I understand why you want to do it. I really do! It's just…" He looked up and straight into his best friend's aged face. "I don't think I am prepared for finding your body in some street or ally… I just want to be there when it happens. Like a good friend should do…"

Dave couldn't do more but to stare at the crying man in front of him, unsure of what to do. In the end he made a step forward and hugged him. He felt how Hal clung to him and silently sobbed into his suit for a while.

"We have to get ready…," the soldier reminded him after taking a look at the clock. "Can I count on you?" he asked and held the man at shoulder length, waited for his answer.

Nodding, Otacon wiped a hand over his eyes and put his glasses back on. "Fine… Let's finish it, Snake," he said in a broken voice and failed in giving a determined weak smile. "Let this be our last battle… The onus is ours" Swallowing hard, he gave him a forced, encouraging smile but knew he failed in it.

Even if Snake noticed it he chose to ignore it and patted the man's shoulder with a brief smirk. "That's the Hal I know," he said and grabbed his gear from the ground, followed by his partner. Neither wanted to admit that both of them had a very bad gut feeling when it came to how things would end this time. When the door went shut behind them Hal knew that he would return alone this time…

_Review please!!!_


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